Round Trip Distance: 0.5 miles
Difficulty: Easy
Elevation: 5640 - 5684 feet
Cellphone: 0 bars
Time: 45 mins.
Trailhead: Tool Point
Fee: none
Attractions: sharpening grooves, petroglyphs
Tool Point is located in the east end of the Paradox Valley between Naturita and Bedrock, Colorado. The scenic little site has a few petroglyphs to see and a whole lot of sharpening grooves. A visit to Tool Point can be combined with visits to the Hunting Magic Panel, Shaman Panel and the Paradox Valley boulder sites for a full day of exploration.
To get to the trailhead begin by turning off of Highway 141 onto Highway 90 about 2 miles from Naturita and measuring about 6.3 miles before turning right onto an unmarked dirt road. The turnoff is after mile marker 28 but before mile marker 27. About 500 feet before reaching the turnoff EE21 Road turns off on the left. After turning off the road you will pass through a gate and continue across private land. Be sure to leave the gate the way that you find it and be respectful of the land so their gracious easement will continue.
After crossing the flats take the left fork where the road splits.
As the road continues paralleling the foothills stay to the left again at the next fork that comes up. If you end up going right at either of these forks you will reach dead ends at places that make good primitive out of the way campsites.
Near the 1.9 mile point from the highway take the right fork.
The distance for this site was measured from the last fork. If you are able to drive all the way to the end of the short spur road then your hike will be reduced to a few hundred yards. The road ends before crossing a shallow wash where there is a large clearing to park and turn around. From here the site is only a short distance away.
The shortest route is to cut directly across the wash but the wash is so scenic that it is hard not to hike up it a ways.
There isn't an official trail to follow so unless one develops over time you'll have to make your own route.
The south and east sides of the point of the cliff are covered with a plethora of sharpening grooves. The grooves are the results of sharpening bone tools, arrowheads and spear points.
A few petroglyphs can be found mixed in with the sharpening grooves. This petroglyph looks like it might be a map.
There's a neat little cubby hole in the cliff with a nice view of the valley where it looks like they would sit and work on their tools.
On the west side of the point of the cliff there are even more petroglyphs. Many of them are disappearing as the patina is practically dissolving off of the rock and taking the images with it.
